


Through the Stone

by Vanamiya



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Dragon Age: Inquisition Spoilers, M/M, Post-Break Up, Vomiting, more specifically for the Descent DLC, sorta - Freeform, they're getting better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-20
Updated: 2016-03-20
Packaged: 2018-05-27 23:50:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6305227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vanamiya/pseuds/Vanamiya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Deep Roads have many secrets. Some of them are better left alone.</p><p>An accident causes Anders and Fenris to land in a place beneath the Deep Roads that no one had ever seen, its mere existence impossible to explain with logic.</p><p>Spoilers for the DAI Descent DLC</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through the Stone

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back again with another story! I'm working on the Body Swap sequel I promise, but until then, have another prompt. This time I actually combined two prompts! One was "broken elevator" and the other was "Fenris and Anders don't get along and hate each other, but everyone is baffled how good of a team they are in battle", well I kinda stretched that one.
> 
> As you can see, there SPOILERS for the Descent DLC. I loved that part of the DLC so I just HAD to write a story about it.

Just as the lift started descending, Fenris made a leap at it, grabbing onto the thick rope and letting himself down on the wooden construction that was about to carry its load down into the Deep Roads. The lift swayed with the sudden added weight and Anders lost his balance, falling and holding on to one of the beams that held the messily built square together.  
  
“What do you think you’re doing,” Fenris asked when he landed next to Anders, causing the lift to sway even more.  
  
“I could ask you the same thing! Are you trying to kill us?!”  
  
“You’re perfectly capable of doing that yourself. And already attempting it, it appears.”  
  
Anders glared up at Fenris. There was not much light so all that was clearly visible were the lines of lyrium and the glowy elven eyes. In the darkness, Fenris always looked like a ghost.  
  
“You’ve been following me around for weeks now. Do you really believe I didn’t notice? But whatever your reason is – which is probably that Hawke sent you – you can turn around again and go back. I won’t come with you and I won’t run any errands for her. Send my regards and leave me alone.”  
  
“So instead, you would prefer to go back into the Deep Roads?”  
  
Anders bit his lip and looked over the edge. The Deep Roads waited for him with an eerie silence that was only disturbed by the whispers inside his head. A strange contrast.  
  
“I need to. It makes no sense because I should still have a few years but… my Calling started. So my only choices are killing myself or dying a Warden’s death. I was fond of the Wardens. You know, before… the thing with Justice happened. So I figured I can at least die like one.”  
  
Fenris sighed. It was the kind of sound that made shivers run down Anders’ spine. Being close to Fenris made him feel things again and he felt ashamed for it. They hadn’t ended things on a good note and after the chantry incident, they hadn’t even seen each other again. Not that it mattered. It had never been anything serious anyway, just two lonely people that seemed to be compatible in a physical way only. Though there had been moments – tender and almost leading to them reaching some kind of common ground - that had made him question that. Sometimes, when he was especially lonely, he still lingered in those memories and wondered if it hadn’t been ultimately his fault for not taking the first step towards it. Then again, it could have ended so much more painfully that way.  
  
“That’s exactly why I’m here. The Calling you hear isn’t real. Hawke sent me to tell you this in case you try something stupid.”  
  
“What?”  
  
As if on cue, the lift stopped moving with an ungodly screeching sound that echoed through the darkness. Anders stared up, even if he knew that it was pointless because he saw nothing.  
  
“Hey, Fenris. Why did we stop?”  
  
“I don’t know.”  
  
“Then let me rephrase that: what do your elf eyes see?”  
  
“The same as you I’d wager.”  
  
This time it was Anders’ turn to sigh. Well, to be fair it was probably his fault for choosing the oldest, most unsafe looking lift in all of Thedas.  
  
“I guess we have no other choice then,” he said and grasped one of the four ropes that held the platform they were standing on. The wood was creaking suspiciously and if what Fenris had said was true, that this Calling wasn’t real – he would have to ask him about it, but later - then he didn’t want to go down there anymore anyway. The only other way was up again, even if that meant climbing on a rope that looked barely more trustworthy than that fancy hammered board.  
  
It happened too quickly for them to be prepared for it. The lift sank, just for a few inches, then the sound of something snapping. Anders didn’t even have time to scream before they fell. A shock went through his whole body as gravity pulled them to their death. Immediately, Justice took over, at least enough to let him not be consumed by fear and cast a barrier spell around him and Fenris. Would that be enough?  
  
Something grabbed him and only the light blue glow suddenly enveloping him told him that it was Fenris. A strange feeling filled his body, amplified by Justice’s presence. The spirit seemed to calm down for some reason, placated by whatever Fenris was doing right now. This was no moment to be calm!  
  
Unable to form any other kind of plan, Anders pulled Fenris closer, clung to him as tightly as possible as if that would somehow help them. He didn’t know how long until the impact, perhaps a few seconds. The air howled around his ears and he closed his eyes tightly. Somehow he felt sorry for Fenris. Him? He had been prepared to come here to die. But now no one would be able to go back to Hawke and tell her about this.  
  
There WAS an impact but it didn’t feel like one. He hadn’t turned into Apostate paste. Instead, it felt soft, like a pillow giving way, more and more and somehow passing through him. He shuddered and felt Fenris arm around him, tightening the grip. He could still see the light through his closed eyelids and the feeling or sinking lower and lower made him realize what was happening. Their fall had slowed too. It was like falling into water, just that this was no water. They were phasing through the stone.  
  
“Don’t look. It will just make you sick.” Fenris voice sounded different through the stone, incorporeal and hollow. Anders, being Anders, couldn’t help from risking a peek anyway. He regretted it immediately. The sensation of passing through solid rock was one thing but seeing it… he lost consciousness.

* * *

  
  
“Anders! ANDERS!”  
  
Fenris’ shouts and a sudden push of lyrium fueled energy jolted him awake. He struggled a bit, trying to orient himself, which earned him more angry shouting.  
  
“Stop this mage or we will fall!”  
  
With a jerk, Anders was still. The first thing he noticed was that he was hanging limply and Fenris was all that kept him from falling into… clouds?  
  
Anders’ eyes widened at what he saw. They were hanging onto a little ledge, or rather, Fenris was. Beneath them clouds, above them an endlessly stretching ceiling and next to them a massive wall of stone. There was light coming from the distance bathing the parts of the giant cavern in what looked like the rays of the sun. Anders couldn’t believe his eyes.  
  
“If you’re finished gaping, climb up. I can’t hold us two for much longer.”  
  
“Oh, right, sorry.” Anders still felt shell-shocked when he started hold onto Fenris and then slowly climbed up the elf’s body and onto a cliff just above the ledge Fenris was clawing at for dear life. Anders helped him follow and they both needed a moment to just sit there and take in what they were seeing.  
  
“Where… where are we?”  
  
“We fell through many layers of stone. This place was where it ended. I don’t know what’s beneath those clouds and I did not want to find out.”  
  
Anders furrowed his eyebrows. He had never heard about such a place in the Deep Roads or even beneath them. The sheer existence of it made no sense.  
  
There were plants growing on giant stalactites and stalagmites and even pillars that reached all the way from the cloudy bottom of the cave to the massive ceiling. He could hear birds and a faint thudding sound that was steady like a heartbeat. Anders let his eyes wander until the stopped at structures in the distance that clung to the pillars. Those were definitely not natural. They looked like houses and terraces that wound around the natural stone and connected to each other via bridges and ladders. That meant someone lived here. Or had lived here, long ago. It reminded him of nothing he had ever seen before except that strange Thaig they had found beneath the deep Roads years ago, the one that even the dwarves didn’t know what to do with. But this was different still. It wasn’t bathed in the same red glow and it just… felt different.  
  
“Fenris, look at this, this is-“  
  
But Fenris didn’t look. He seemed preoccupied with staring at the ceiling. His mouth was opened in silent awe and his eyes seemed distant, almost empty. Anders frowned and looked up as well to see what had the elf gaping liking a fish about to make a big air bubble.  
  
Considering how big they were, Anders wondered how he hadn’t seen them sooner. Lyrium veins that had to be as thick as tree trunks, pulsing and glowing and ending in one single spot that was obscured by one of the stalagmites.  
  
Anders frowned. He didn’t know much about raw lyrium since he was no dwarf and those guys didn’t exactly tell you much about how it was mined, though it seemed not too absurd to think that veins would be this thick, at least this far down. Still, something about this seemed strange. Uncomfortable. He got a weird feeling from it and not just because he was a mage and raw lyrium was pretty much a death sentence for him. Now was the question why Fenris suddenly seemed so out of it. Anders waved a hand in front of his face.  
  
“Fenris? Hellooo? Blink once if you’re still in there.”  
  
No reaction. Anders gave him a light smack on the cheek and Fenris’ body twitched visibly at the sudden sting. Those big green eyes stared at him, still empty for a moment until life returned to them. Fenris blinked before looking away, as if ashamed for his moment of weakness.  
  
“We should move on.”  
  
Well, at least he was back to normal for the moment.  
  
The path along the cliff led them towards one of the bridges that connected the ancient settlements. Anders noted the floor that was partly littered with dirt and debris and partly clean, with shiny grey tiles that looked like marble. He almost could see his own reflection in them, though he doubted that he even wanted to see that right now. The past months hadn’t been kind to him and that once brand new black coat was dirty and full of holes by now.  
  
Fern and small bushes grew on the patches of dirt and trees had eaten their way into the stone. The air was humid and Anders could feel his clothes cling to his skin, even if it wasn’t particularly warm.  
  
They crossed the bridge and climbed down a few old wooden ladders just to stand in front of the next bridge. By now, the light reached them. It was somewhat warm but weakened by the fog in the distance. He still couldn’t make out if this was indeed the sun. It was just… so bright, almost unnatural. This place became eerier by the second.  
  
Just as Anders wanted to step on the bridge so they could continue their crazy adventure, Fenris held out a hand, making him stop. He looked next to him but Fenris eyes were focused on something in front of them, his face set into a frown. Anders looked ahead again and there, in the shadows of the next terrace, there was movement. He grabbed behind himself out of reflex just to find himself without staff. It must have loosened and fallen off from his back at some point, just like Fenris’ sword, now that he thought about it. They were both not helpless without weapons, but it would be difficult. Whatever was in front of them, it wasn’t a Darkspawn, Anders knew that much. What kind of creatures could be living down here and would they be hostile? There was only one way to find out.  
  
Suddenly, dwarves stepped out of the shadows and stormed onto the bridge in their direction, weapons ready to attack. They didn’t wait or even react when Anders screamed that they meant no harm, that they were lost. The armor those dwarves wore looked strange, unlike any other Anders had ever seen but there was no time to ponder this. Next to him, he could feel Fenris lighting his brands and he sighed before summoning fire in his palms. Why did no one ever stop to ask questions before attacking?

The flames burned his skin as he threw them at the attackers. They didn’t even flinch, running right through the raging fire as if it was a flower field. Without a staff, Anders only had his magic to defend himself with but Fenris could perhaps steal something from one from their opponents. The dwarf leading the attack carried a huge maul. It only took Fenris and Anders a short glance to communicate their plans. No matter how many differences they had, no matter if they had fought or shared a bed the other night, no matter if they had walked on eggshells around each other, trying to figure out their feelings and whether or not this whatever-it-was could turn into with an actual word to describe it, as soon as they were fighting for their lives, all these things were forgotten. On the battlefield, they were one, it had been that way for years.  


* * *

  
  
_They were surrounded by Tal-Vashoth, spells flying through the air that was cut in two by a giant sword just afterwards. A spear froze in midair and fell to the ground and the thrower narrowed his eyes, holding another spear and charging at the mage directly, foreign curses leaving his lips as well as the word “Saarebas”. Behind Anders, he could feel a sudden burst of lyrium fueled energy, aiming at his back. He dodged. Fenris, glowing like a wraith and quick like a bolt of lightning, buried his hand in the massive chest. A short gasp let the Tal-Vashoth before he collapsed.  
  
Once the other enemies were taken care of as well, Fenris and Anders stood there, back to back and breathing heavily. Only now did they realize that their companions were staring at them in awe and… was that amusement causing their lips to curl? Anders hadn’t known that the glowy elf and him were such an entertaining sight.  
  
“One could almost think that you don’t actually dislike each other when you fight together,” Hawke laughed. Anders and Fenris turned around, shot each other a brief glance before stubbornly staring into opposite directions. As if!_

* * *

  
  
Anders waited for the strangely armored dwarves to come close enough, pooling his magic deep inside him. Within heartbeats, he found the right moment and struck with a mind blast, the sudden pulse of pure force sending the attackers backwards and onto the floor. Fenris used that moment to jump forward and steal the maul. As soon as he had it, he lifted it up high before swinging it down onto the dwarf. A sickening crack was all that could be heard.  
  
Fire didn’t do much against these guys it seemed so Anders switched to ice spells, freezing the other enemies to the floor. They struggled against it and eventually broke free but it gave them precious seconds.  
  
The reason why Fenris and Anders were able to fight so well together was easy, really. Anders was a mage and Fenris was familiar with protecting those. Fenris had lyrium etched into his skin, something both Anders and Justice could always feel when the elf was close enough. Fenris always knew where Anders was and Anders always knew where Fenris was, even when they didn’t see each other.  
  
Right now however, something was off. Anders only noticed it when more enemies appeared from behind and he sent a lightning storm at them. Usually, he always had this slight tickle that told him where Fenris was. Now, he felt it all around him. His eyes widened as realization dawned on him and he erected a quick wall of ice, the cavern’s natural humidity helping in forming it more quickly.  
  
The armor of those dwarves had blue lines and shapes all over it that glowed just like the veins running along the stone. Just like Fenris’ markings. There was no doubt about it, they wore armor forged with lyrium in a way he had never seen before.  
  
This fight turned from difficult to a nightmare. He couldn’t feel Fenris anymore, he could only hope that the damn elf knew what he was doing, with enemies swarming them from both sides, he couldn’t risk turning around again.  
  
He could hear screams behind him and none of them sounded like Fenris’ so he took that as a good sign. The ice wall he had created shattered when another dwarf with a maul smashed against it. Anders took on a defensive pose. It was risky but he had an idea. Just as the dwarf sped up and ran towards him, maul ready to attack, he used a grease spell on the floor. The dwarf slid forward, unable to control his movement any longer. The moment he was close enough,. Anders stepped forward and elbowed him. In a last attempt, the warrior swung his maul at Anders just as he slipped and fell. Time seemed to slow down as the heavy bottom part of the maul came closer and closer. Anders had no time to dodge. It would most likely break some of his bones and he would have no time to heal himself before having to continue the fight.  
  
Just then, he felt a hand grab him by the shoulder and pull him just out of reach. The dwarf fell off the bridge and Anders knew that it had to be Fenris who had saved him even without looking at his savior. They still had to survive this fight.  
  
The battle continued with Anders throwing spells after spells at the enemies and hearing fighting sounds behind him. He couldn’t feel his hands anymore. They froze with the ice spells, twitched with electricity and burned with the fire spells. That was why a staff was so much more practical.  
  
A rogue jumped at him before he could react, double daggers at the ready. Anders attempted another mind blast to get the attacker off him but it came out too weak, his mana reserves already at their end. The rogue rammed a knife into Anders’ hand and he screamed, the sharp pain up his arm and to his shoulder. He held his other hand in front of the rogue’s face before he could ram the next knife into Anders’ chest and released a small flame into the openings in his helmet. That had the dwarf twitch back, even if just for a moment.  
  
Suddenly, the rogue was very still and there was a glow above them. It was Fenris! He had his fist buried in the dwarf’s back and stared down as if the maker himself was staring back, pale and in shock.  
  
He threw the now dead dwarf aside and sank to his knees. Anders got up, using his last reserves to first heal his hand and then check Fenris for injuries. He was fine physically but he looked shaken.  
  
“Fenris?”  
  
There was no answer and Anders frowned. He looked around and it seemed like there weren’t any more of them here but they couldn’t be sure. They needed to rest for a bit before they could go on but they needed to find a place to hide for that.  
  
For a moment, Anders’ eyes were drawn towards those strange dwarves and their even stranger armor. He approached one of the bodies, kneeling above it and examining the lyrium. It was barely even refined and it almost looked like….  
  
Anders gasped.  
  
“That armor…! It’s fused to their flesh. How…?!”  
  
He heard retching behind him and when he turned around, Fenris was on all fours, emptying the contents of his stomach right where he was. There wasn’t much in there, mostly just bile and Fenris coughed and continued dry heaving, shaking from whatever it was that had caused this.  
  
Anders was by his side just a moment later.  
  
“Fenris! What happened? What are the symptoms?”  
  
Did they poison him? He had even checked on Fenris and he had seemed fine! He checked again just to make sure but there were no injuries and he couldn’t detect any poison, either.  
  
“My head…! The images… Make it stop,” Fenris pleaded and retched again even if nothing came anymore. Anders couldn’t do much if he didn’t know what was wrong but he put a healing spell on Fenris anyway in hopes of stopping his urge to vomit.  
  
He helped Fenris up and together they looked for a place to hide. One of the doors leading into the little stone houses was unlocked and they walked inside. It was just one room which was good because it meant no nasty surprises. The furniture was made from wood, the same wood used on the ladders. There wasn’t much. A simple table with simple chairs, a bed, a counter, and some smaller utensils. Anders made Fenris lie down on the bed. The elf didn’t even protest, he just held his head and curled up on the old and scratchy mattress. And Anders shot him a worried glance before turning and barricading the entrance. He really hoped there wouldn’t be more of those guys appearing soon or they would probably have no chance against them, not with Fenris and this state and him out of mana.  
  
With a table and the chair placed in front of the door, Anders could finally breathe easier, at least a little. He sat down next to Fenris, unsure how to handle this situation. He wanted to help Fenris, find out what those images in his head were but ever since the chantry incident they hadn’t seen each other and right before that, he had destroyed what fragile bond they had had before. He didn’t know if Fenris even wanted his comfort after all this that had happened and all this time. That guy could be really stubborn, too.  
  
Carefully, he reached out a hand, touching Fenris’ forehead. It was damp from cold sweat but he didn’t seem to have a fever. Fenris didn’t stop him, he seemed too preoccupied with grinding his teeth to keep himself from making any kind of noise.  
  
“Hey, Fenris? What are those images you mentioned? What do you see?”  
  
“Memories… from when I received my markings…” A violent shiver wrecked through the elf’s body and he bit on his lip until it started bleeding. Anders flinched and healed the cut immediately, sending even more healing magic through Fenris’ body in hopes of accomplishing something, anything.  
  
“Those dwarves and their armor, it just… seemed so familiar. But there’s something else. When I reached into that dwarf I could hear it… the voice… it’s too big… it wasn’t for my ears to hear… but it’s calling me.”  
  
“What voice, what does it say?”  
  
“I don’t know! I don’t understand! It’s calling and it’s loud and I…”  
  
Fenris started retching again. He was completely empty but the convulsions wouldn’t stop until Anders poured more magic into him. It replenished slowly but with how much he needed to keep Fenris at least somewhat calm, he doubted that he would get anywhere anytime soon unless Fenris got better.  
  
“It’s okay, I’m here. Whatever happened to you, I’m sorry I dragged you into this. I wouldn’t have guessed-“  
  
Before he could finish his sentence, he could feel Fenris grabbing onto his wrist and holding it tightly, as if his life depended it. Out of other ideas, Anders lay down beside him, wrapping his arms around him while sending out the tiniest stream of healing energy, whatever he could spare while he waited to regain more of his power. They both needed to rest and this bed was just wide enough for them both if they cuddled. Though his feet still didn’t fit into the bed and hung off the edge in an uncomfortable angle. Damn dwarves and their shortness.  


* * *

  
  
_“You may have fooled Hawke but don’t think you can fool me. A simple potion to cure you from your “spirit”? There is no such thing. If there was, I doubt you of all people would be privy to such a well-kept secret.”  
  
Anders’ jaws tightened. He should have known not to talk about this while he had been present. Hawke and Varric had left and she had promised to come back tomorrow and help him with gathering the ingredients for his little… project. Now what to do with Fenris? He couldn’t tell him the truth, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to go through with the plan if he did.  
  
“And what if I am? It’s none of your business, is it? This is between me and Hawke and she already promised me her aid. Sharing my bed sometimes doesn’t give you the right to stick your nose into things that don’t concern you.”  
  
“Apparently not.” If Anders didn’t know any better, he would have said that Fenris sounded somewhat… hurt. That almost seemed impossible, didn’t it? “I simply fear that you will do something stupid, which would concern me.”  
  
“Would it now?” Anders shot him a glare. He wanted to believe that Fenris was worried, but even if he was, it didn’t matter. No one, not even him, could hold Anders back now. Justice was restless in his head, talking about distractions that they didn’t have time for. Yeah, he was most likely right.  
  
“There are things that are more important than listening to you. You’ve just been a distraction until now and I won’t let you stop me.” Anders’ eyes widened slightly, shocked at his own words. Were those his own words, spoken without thinking them through first? Or were those Justice’s words, trying to separate them from everything that could still hold them back? He didn’t know.  
  
There was hurt in  Fenris’ eyes, it lingered for just a moment but that moment managed to pierce Anders’ heart worse than a sword ever could. Then they narrowed, locking the emotion away and replacing it with cold defiance. Fenris, who had needed years to open up, closed himself off right in front of him. It was painful to watch but it was too late now. There were things more important than distraction, more important than even love. Love that he knew had no future so it was best to extinguish the flame right now.  
  
“So that is how you see me? I shouldn’t have expected any less from a mage, especially one of your kind. You won’t need to worry about any sort of distraction anymore, not from me. I tire of this.”  
  
“Then get out of my clinic and stop bothering me.” Anders’ tone was sharp, icy. His heart broke apart at Fenris’ words. Perhaps it was better like this. If Fenris still only saw him as a mage… there wouldn’t have been any hope either way.  
  
Fenris turned away, started walking. Just in front of the door, he stopped. “Whatever it is that you plan to do, know that you will have to carry the consequences. Not even Hawke will be able to protect you forever.”  
  
Then he was gone. Anders bit on his lip to keep himself calm. It was better this way. This end had been unavoidable and things went as he had planned them… he wasn’t going to live for much longer anyway._  


* * *

  
  
Anders woke up, wondering why his dreams weren’t filled with Darkspawn. Thinking about it, he hadn’t felt any Darkspawn ever since they had fallen down here, even less than on the surface where sometimes he could feel them crawling beneath the earth. It was as if they kept away from this cavern on purpose, not daring to taint such a mystical place.  
  
A look at Fenris told him that he was still sleeping. He wasn’t quite as pale as he had been before and his breaths were calm and even. A good sign. Anders sat up and stretched. His magic had replenished by now. Should they encounter any other unpleasant surprises, he was ready at least. He felt movement behind him and turned just in time to see Fenris open his eyes and look at him.  
  
“How do you feel?”  
  
Fenris frowned, not moving for a few moments to consider his answer. Anders waited patiently. Should something still be wrong, he would at least have enough strength by now to properly help him.  
  
“It’s calling me. It has questions. I… we should not let it wait.”  
  
Anders frowned. So Fenris was still hearing that voice? He knew that lyrium could “sing” and he himself could sometimes hear the Darkspawn in his head but the thing Fenris described…. Just what had happened to him?  
  
“What do you mean? Who is “it”?”  
  
“The titan.”  
  
“The titan?”  
  
“We shouldn’t linger any longer.”  
  
Fenris climbed out of the bed and he actually did seem like whatever had affected him before was gone. He was calm, perhaps even too calm, but insistent. Still, something was strange, Fenris wasn’t the type to listen to voices in his head. He didn’t trust demons and magic and everything that seemed to be connected to it and suddenly he talked about some titan – whatever that was – and how it called him.  
  
Anders felt along his belt, relieved to find that the small canteen of water he had was still strapped to it. It wasn’t much but Fenris probably needed it.  
  
“Do you think you can keep that down?” He asked, holding out the little container just for Fenris to ignore him while he pulled the table and chairs away from the door.  
  
“We don’t have time.” The door opened and the same bright light that had been there before they had slept greeted them. Didn’t that strange sun ever move? Questions piling up in his head, he followed Fenris’ brisk pace. The elf didn’t even bother to take one of the mauls with him while the crossed the bridge and followed the path down another ladder.  
  
“Are you sure you’re okay? Usually, hearing strange voices means something bad. I should know.”  
  
“I have never felt better.”  
  
At the bottom of the ladder, they followed the circling platform to the next bridge and Anders froze as something he had almost forgotten about came into view.  
  
The lyrium veins. They ended in a strangely shaped crystal that pulsed and glowed from within. The low beating sound was louder, too, now that Anders listened to it. He knew what this looked like but he could barely believe it. Fenris stopped for a moment, too, to gaze at it with a serene face, as if this sight was comforting instead of confusing.  
  
“This is the heart,” he said, “I carry the blood on my skin like the protectors. That’s why it wants to see me.”  
  
“Blood? Heart? What are you talking about? What’s going on? I thought you didn’t understand what the voice tells you.”  
  
The calmness in Fenris voice, his posture, his eyes, it made cold shivers run down Anders’ spine. He wasn’t even sure if this was still Fenris.  
  
“I didn’t. I rejected it. But I understand now, so I feel no fear. We must reach the heart. Look around you – but not with your eyes - and you will see.”  
  
Anders frowned as they moved on. The Fenris he knew would never have said something quite this cryptic. He had called the lyrium blood and the crystal not far from them a “heart”. And he had said to look, but not with his eyes. Perhaps there was another way to find out what was going on here. Anders had magic, didn’t he? If there was any way to see with something that wasn’t his eyes, that would be his best bet.  
  
He released small waves of magic and let himself feel. He concentrated, slowing his step and making Fenris wait for him for a moment. Something resonated with him. It was big, so much bigger than the crystal, it was… all around them. The whole cavern, no, even bigger than that. Anders gasped and stared at the “heart” again.  
  
“This… this is really a heart! We’re inside… something. Is that this titan thing you talked about? And the lyrium… is that…?”  
  
Fenris didn’t answer, he simply walked and Anders, followed. Rather than answers he had even more questions now. Whatever this place was, he wanted to leave, even if he felt like they were about to discover a fundamental secret of this world. No one quite knew what lyrium was and where it came from. The discovery that it was the blood of some strange giant living stones beneath the Deep Roads made drinking lyrium potions suddenly so much more awkward.  
  
But it did make sense, didn’t it? It would explain why the only substitute to a big amount of lyrium was blood. Because lyrium was blood. This could change the view on lyrium forever and help the ongoing research a great deal but Anders wished they hadn’t found out about this on accident, while trying to fight for their lives. There was no guarantee that they would even make it out of here in one piece, so maybe they would have to take the truth about lyrium to their graves. He would rather choose his life than wisdom, to be honest.  
  
Fenris became even more unresponsive once the came close to the heart. He didn’t answer any of Anders’ questions, didn’t even react when Anders punched him in the shoulder.  
  
There it was, across the last bridge, on a platform surrounded by angled pillars that almost looked like spikes, ready to protect it. It pumped just like a human heart, like any living heart. Fenris approached it without fear, just like he had said. Anders hesitated. What if this thing wasn’t friendly? What if it thought of them as intruders? This thing wasn’t only big, it was powerful and intense, the combined strength of tons of rock and lyrium.  A mage without a staff and a warrior without a weapon would not last long.  
  
As soon as Fenris seemed to come close enough, the heart lit up, a bright bolt of energy shot from its center into Fenris’ chest. He gasped and sank to his knees. Anders barely had time to run to his side before the heart pulsated violently, waves of pure force hitting them. Anders put his arms around the gasping elf, setting up a barrier around them.  
  
“Fenris, what happened?”  
  
“I… it had questions that I couldn’t answer and… it’s angry because I’m not… one of its children.” Fenris’ brands lit up and died out, again and again in a strange rhythm. He seemed unable to take control over his own body and the healing magic Anders tried to send into him was repelled.  
  
“Oh Maker, tell me this isn’t really happening.”  
  
The sound of stones scratching over the ground made Anders look at the heart again. It was gone, instead, a creature formed. Rocks and threads of lyrium weaving together and a bright blue eye glared down at them. It reminded him of the rock wraith they had fought so many year ago, with Hawke. Alone, he wouldn’t stand a chance, not even with Justice. He pressed Fenris closer to him, Feeling the irregular swirls of lyrium fueled energy coming off him in waves.  
  
“Blondie?! Is that you?!”  
  
He heard voices in the distance and… was this Varric? He turned his head and… it was Varric! But he wasn’t alone, a small group of fighters and mages was with him, it seemed. The stone creature stirred and he found himself behind Varric and three strangers.  
  
“Varric… How…?”  
  
“Let’s do the talking once we took care of this thing, alright?”  
  
The fight started. The creature swung its heavy arms at them but these people were strong. There was a human woman clad in plate armor and swinging sword an shield, then two elven mages one female and one male, they rained down spells upon the monster and protected the group with their barriers, and finally Varric with his Bianca. Anders didn’t move from where he was, watching over Fenris and sending healing spells whenever it seemed necessary.  
  
The elven woman in particular was strange. Something that reminded of the Fade slept in her hand and she used it, causing a rift to appear above the creature. That was what defeated it. To say that Anders was in awe was an understatement.  
  
There was a dwarven woman he hadn’t seen before. She seemed to glow and the elven woman spoke to her, frowning. Anders wasn’t exactly sure what they were talking about, he was too occupied with looking at Varric as if he was the Maker himself.  
  
“How?”  
  
“I could ask you the same thing. Out all the things I expected to find down here, you were dead last on my list.” Varric’s grin turned serious. “Is he alright?”  
  
Anders looked down at Fenris. He was unconscious but his markings still glowed softly. “I’m… not sure.”  
  
“He will be alright. He is forgiven. The titan now has the answers it seeks and bonding with me, one of its children, calmed it down. Take your friend to the surface, he will feel better there.”  
  
The dwarven woman smiled at Anders with the same serene face that Fenris had had before. He hoped that she was right.  
  
The three strangers now looked down on him as well. The warrior frowned.  
  
“Varric, you seem to know these two. Who are they?”  
  
“That’s no way to speak about my friends, seeker.”  
  
“I agree. For now, we should go back. I’m Veilchen but most people know me as the Inquisitor.”  
  
“THE Inquisitor? As in the person leading the Inquisition?”  
  
“Yup, that’s me! Don’t worry, whoever you two are, I won’t force you to join us… yet.” Veilchen’s grin couldn’t be described as anything less than mischievous.  


* * *

  
  
The journey back to the surface was long and awkward. Fenris stayed unconscious and had to be carried all the way, mostly by the warrior called Cassandra. She hadn’t reacted well when she had found out who the two of them were. Apparently she was an avid reader of Varric’s books and had done a lot of research in hopes of finding Hawke so she knew most of the things that had transpired in Kirkwall. She was also in favor of chaining him up and locking him away, seeing how he was still a hunted criminal. Inquisitor Veilchen had rejected that proposal immediately.  
  
“Getting to the surface takes priority and I want him to receive the same treatment as everyone else. He will be judged but not now.”  
  
The way up lead them through endless seeming caves filled with lyrium and dark tunnels that stretched on and on. Reaching the Deep Roads almost felt like a breath of fresh air in comparison and soon, Inquisition scouts as well as members of the Legion of the Dead appeared. Anders felt anxious. Veilchen had said that he would be judged and he weighed his options. He could try to flee but his chances alone in the Deep Roads were slim, especially after this weird encounter in that strange titan cavern. His only other option was to wait for whatever punishment the Inquisitor regarded as befitting his crime. Varric sent him occasional smiles but it was obvious he was worried about Fenris. Anders felt the same.  
  
The last member of their group, an elven mage called Solas, was the strangest yet. He always looked like he knew way more than he let on and he didn’t say much on the way to the surface, he simply regarded both him and Fenris with interest and – if his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him – pity.  


* * *

  
  
The lift that pulled them upwards seemed sturdier than the one that had caused this mess in the first place, thank the maker. Seeing the sky again after an extended amount of time down there almost seemed like a small miracle.  
  
There was a big camp not far from the entrance into the Deep Roads and they were handed bowls with soup while Fenris was brought into one of the tents. There was no indication of injury or illness, Anders himself had checked, the elf had simply refused to wake up. Perhaps it was like that dwarf had said and now that they were topside, Fenris would finally open his eyes and be normal again.  
  
The soup was hot and filling but Anders could barely bring himself to eat it, lost in thought and haunted by worries and fears.  
  
“So, blondie, you still haven’t told me why you two were down there in the first place. Seems like a strange destination for a romantic vacation.”  
  
Ander shot Varric a short glare before looking around. He sat on his own, away from the fire and while Cassandra seemed on edge with him running around without chains around every single one of his limbs, there were enough people around the camp to catch him, should he try to flee now. He didn’t even really feel like trying to run anymore. He was tired.  
  
“It was an accident. We fell and Fenris’ abilities let us fall right through the stone and into that strange cavern. We had to fight some really weird dwarves.”  
  
“You mean those with lyrium armor fused to their bodies? Yeah, they attacked us, too.”  
  
“Fenris reached into one of them to kill him but he started acting weird afterwards. Talked some confusing stuff about titans and blood and a heart. And when we found this heart, you guys appeared as well as that… thing.”  
  
“Hm, I see. And why were you in the Deep Roads in the first place?”  
  
“I thought my Calling had started. Fenris… he came to tell me that this Calling is fake and that Hawke had sent him to keep me from doing something stupid.” Anders stared down at his soup. He wanted to eat it but something caused his throat to close up. “Why did he even bother? Just because Hawke wanted him to? He really needs to rethink his view on freedom if he lets her order him around like that.”  
  
He heard a deep sigh next to him. “I can’t believe I have to be the one to tell you this. Do you really think he would do something he truly doesn’t want to do just because Hawke snaps her fingers? Look, I don’t know what exactly happened between you two but I do know that he worried about you. Sure, he did so in his own broody way but that was because both of you were so stubborn that it was embarrassing to watch.”  
  
Finally, Anders looked up from his unfinished meal, staring at Varric in disbelief. “What do you mean?”  
  
“Isn’t that obvious? Say about the broody elf what you will but as hard as it is to get behind his barriers, he holds all of his friends dear, you were no exception, in fact, you were quite the opposite I’d say. You were just too… caught up in your mission to bring Justice to every mage in Thedas to notice.”  
  
Anders could feel his heart beating all the way up his throat. Was that true? Perhaps the one to ruin everything… really had been him. He remembered the hurt in Fenris’ eyes, something he hadn’t been able to forget until this day. That moment in which Fenris, the warrior who was always alert, always ready to defend himself, had been so vulnerable in front of him, even if just for a moment. Someone Fenris didn’t care about wouldn’t able to hurt him like this, it was true.  
  
But how… how could he make up for what he had done?  
  
“The elf, he’s awake.”  
  
That voice came from Fenris’ tent. Forgotten were the soup and Varric and everything else. Anders was in front of the tent merely second later.  
  
“Can I see him? I’m a healer and I would like to make sure he’s alright.”  
  
The woman nodded and left the tent, making room for him.  
  
Fenris lay on a cot and he looked around, still disoriented as it seemed.  
  
“Fenris? Are you alright?”  
  
“I have been better,” he answered and winced. Anders came closer and looked down at him, worry in his eyes.  
  
“Are you experiencing any pain? Nausea? Dizziness?”  
  
“No. I’m just… it feels like a part of me was ripped away from me just to return to me again and fill my head to the point of bursting. It’s difficult to describe. I was under the influence of the titan through my markings but because I’m not a dwarf, it rejected me. But the things I had seen and heard… they won’t leave my mind.”  
  
“I’m sorry, Fenris. I’m so sorry.”  
  
Fenris snorted. “Do you think this is your fault? Well, it is your fault that we were down there in the first place.”  
  
“No, that’s… that’s not what I mean. Not all of it, at least. I hurt you and even so, you came to warn me. To keep me from getting myself killed because I surely would have if not for you. I don’t… deserve someone like you. Especially not after what I did.”  
  
Fenris stared at him with an unreadable expression for a few moments. They could hear laughter from outside and Varric’s voice, most likely telling one of his wild tales.  
  
“No. No it wasn’t all your fault. I should have made a move but I was afraid. And when you sent me away, I didn’t realize why you did so. We were both fools and I only regret not having been able to react appropriately.”  
  
“The only appropriate reaction would have been punching me in the face.”  
  
“Which I didn’t do, sadly. Want me to rectify that?”  
  
Anders smiled, a small chuckle leaving his lips. He bent down, brushing Fenris’ fringe aside with his hand before placing a kiss on the three white dots on his forehead.  
  
“What happened, where are we?”  
  
“The Inquisition saved us. Varric is here, too. And I… I will be judged soon, for my crimes.”  
  
“Then we need to go.” Fenris moved to sit up but Anders stopped him, pressing a hand on his chest and pushing him back onto the cot.  
  
“You need to rest and I won’t go anywhere. Not this time. The Inquisitor seems like a strong woman. I watched her fight, it was quite the spectacle.” Anders chuckled again. “Either way, as long as she doesn’t hand me over to the Templars, I can live with any punishment.”  
  
“Anders, I won’t-!” Anders moved quickly, silencing Fenris with a quick kiss on the lips.  
  
“We will leave for Skyhold soon. She said she will decide on my fate there. Pretty exciting, isn’t it? Anyway, I still didn’t eat my soup and I’m hungry.”  
  
With these words he left the tent, drawing a shaky breath and looking up at the darkening sky.  
  
“Anders, do you have a few moments? I wanted to ask you some questions.”  
  
It was Solas. Where had he suddenly come from? Anders had not noticed him approaching. He glanced in the direction of his soup. It was most likely cold by now and to be honest, had had lied about being hungry, so he nodded.  
  
He wasn’t sure yet what to think of the Inquisition but knew one thing for sure: his fate was in their hands now.

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaaand this ended on a huge cliffhanger because I'm an ass. Well, do I plan on continuing this? Maybe. I still have other stuff to write and I won't have as much time from now on BUT I'm always happy to know what you thought about this story and whether you want to know what happens next!
> 
> BTW, if anyone is curious, this is my Inquisitor, Veilchen Lavellan:  
> http://vanoodle.tumblr.com/post/128422652073  
> She is a cutie pie. When she isn't hitting everyone with her spirit sword.


End file.
